"A life lived with integrity even if it lacks the trappings of fame and fortune is a shining star in whose light others may follow in the years to come."
“There is a transcendent power in example. We reform others unconsciously when we walk uprightly.”
"In other words, when we realize that everything we do matters, that every choice we make has consequences, we see ourselves rightly as stars linked in a constellation of community. We discover what it might mean and what it might take to act with integrity...Be something like a star--whole and radiant and linked to other stars--within the shimmering and glorious contellation of community."
Being an influential person requires staying on your toes all the time. As a person known to the community everyone knows you, so, when you missteps then everyone knows all the details whether they are fact or fiction. A lot of talk will be going around and your actions will determine the end result. Your status as a role model will be affected in good and bad ways. The people who looked up to you will be upset and frustrated when you have not live up to their expectation. Remember, at every word, at every act, a reputation dies.
Being able to share your experiences with others in order to help, encourage, and motivate them is an opportunity, a privilege and honor that few have. Even if it's to one person or many people to guide them in a different direction than they're going right now. To change a persons mind in a way that they don't have to go through the same hardships and struggles you did to learn things the hard way is our greatest gift to others.
You know about life. You know what works and what doesn't. You know the mistakes you've made and what you've learned from them. You have experience. You have skills. Many times, what we take for granted is a big deal to someone else.
Lou Holtz, the famous football coach said, "When I die, my accomplishments will eventually be forgotten. But what I've invested in my players will continue to live on." The best legacy is not what we leave for people. It's what we leave in people. We all have things that we've learned: skills, talents, life experiences, wisdom. You have a wealth of knowledge that God has entrusted you with. You are not supposed to keep that to yourself. You should be passing that on to somebody else. We have a responsibility to transfer what we know to the next generation.
You and I have an opportunity to leave a mark that cannot be erased. Yes, eventually we're all going to die, but when you invest in somebody else, you will continue to live on. Your life can have influence for generations to come if you will take time to invest in people.
"Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know that man is here for the sake of other men."
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